Justice is Blind
by lil'spencefan
Summary: When one of the team is abducted and becomes the next victim in their investigation, the BAU must find their team member before it is too late. Now complete! Definitely not my best writing, but strangly my only one.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the tv show Criminal Minds or any of its characters, but I did make this story up all by myself.

Note: This is the first fanfiction that I have ever written, so please, pretty please, read it and leave a review. Any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Well, enjoy my story!

**Chapter 1**

"Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense."

Marcus Tullius Cicero

**FBI's BAU Headquarters**

**Quantico, Virginia**

The sun hadn't even risen yet when Special Agent Jason Gideon stepped into the BAU headquarters. He immediately went to his office and started reading over past files and eventually caught up on his paperwork from the previous case.

About 30 minutes later, Special Agent Aaron Hotchner arrived at the complex, grabbed a cp of coffee from the break room, and sat down at his desk. Within the next hour, the rest of the team filtered into the BAU offices. Special Agents Jennifer Jareau and Dr. Spencer Reid arrived around the same time and went about their businesses. Special Agent Elle Greenway came in soon after Reid and J.J., and, finally, Special Agent Derek Morgan found his way into the office around 7:30 A.M. All in all, it seemed like a normal day at the BAU, if there was such a day for this elite group of profilers.

Soon after Morgan arrived, J.J. came around to the agents and placed a case file on each of their desks. Addressing the entire team, she said, "Break room in ten minutes. We have a new case that has to be dealt with as soon as possible."

Almost immediately, Morgan complained, "What? We just got back from a case yesterday! Can't we at least get a day between each case?"

"Hey, I'm not the one taking and killing hostages! If you got a gripe about our work schedule, talk to the unsub!" replied J.J in a pure sarcastic manner.

**Break Room, BAU Headquarters**

**Quantico, Virginia**

Once the entire team made their way into the Break Room, J.J. and Hotch immediately started the briefing. Hotch started out by saying, "We have two Caucasian males found dead. One was 26 year old Travis Mason, and the other 23 year old Scott Rogers."

"Each victim was found without their clothes, badly beaten, were apparently shot three times in their left legs, and their bodies were discovered at local playgrounds," said J.J.

"We also have another victim, 25 year old Brandon Vogel. He only has about 12 hours until his body is found, since the previous victims' bodies were found approximately 50 hours after their initial disappearance." J.J. then used a remote to show pictures of each victim on the Break Room television screen. All eyes immediately looked at Reid; his resemblance to the victims was uncanny. Each victim had short brown hair, pale skin, rich brown eyes, and were as thin as a rail. After a few moments, Reid looked up from his file, noticed that all eyes were on him, and turned a bright shade of red.

J.J., trying to draw attention from the apparently embarrassed Reid, added, "The victims were all captured in public areas on their way home from work. Since it was near dusk, we have no apparent witnesses to the abductions, but we do have short ransom videos, which were sent every four hours to whoever would get them first, such as a close co-worker or a family member."

Elle chimed in, "What makes this a BAU case? These abductions for ransom money sound pretty basic."

Hotch answered her with, "The unsub is not after money. According to the ransom videos, our unsub wants a 'HIM' in shackles delivered to a rocky formation in the desert. When only the police show without 'HIM' the unsub kills our victim, on tape, by a slash to the throat, and dumps the body soon afterward. As I have said, Brandon Vogel only has 12 hours, and the local authorities are stumped, so we are going…."

Hotch was cut off mid-sentence by Reid who said, "Home sweet home. All the victims were found about 50 miles from Las Vegas, so it looks like we're headed to Sin City."

Gideon then stated to the team, "Go home, pack, and be back here within a half an hour."

As if on cue, every member of the team arrived back at the BAU Headquarters exactly a half an hour later. They then quickly drove to the airport, boarded their awaiting private jet, and were in air by 8:30 A.M.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**On the Plane from Quantico to Vegas**

As soon as the plane took off from Quantico and was steadily on its way to Vegas, each member of the team started to read the case file to themselves. Every once in a while, Hotch would steal a glance at Reid; he could sense that Reid was a little tense and troubled. After a couple of hours, Hotch decided that he would talk to Reid and try to figure out what exactly was bugging him.

Hotch set his file down on his seat and slowly made his way towards the back of the plane near his youngest agent. "Reid. Can I talk to you for a minute?" said Hotch in a stern voice.

Reid, apparently not sensing his seriousness, never looked up from his file answered with, "Yeah; go ahead."

"Reid," this time, Reid looked from his file and immediately made eye contact with Hotch. "I want to talk to you about the case. It seems to be getting to you, and I was wondering if you are…"

Reid interrupted Hotch mid-sentence and said, "Hotch, I'm fine. My initial reaction to my resemblance to the victims was pure shock. I'm over it now; Really, I am." With that statement in mind, Hotch appeared satisfied and returned to his seat.

The remainder of the flight was silent, and the plane landed several hours after its initial ascension, around 4:30 P.M.

**Las Vegas International Airport**

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

As Gideon, Elle, Morgan, J.J., Hotchner, and Reid stepped off their jet, a tall, husky man with tan skin approached them with two police officers in tow. "Hello. I'm Sheriff Dan Harrell, and these are officers Miller and Kohlmeyer. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

Hotch then introduces himself and his team. "I'm Agent Aaron Hotchner. These are Agents Derek Morgan, Elle Greenway, Jason Gideon, Jennifer Jareau, and Dr. Spencer Reid." After the initial introductions and a couple of handshakes, the team was driven to the local station, where they were given an office to work in. They immediately began working on the case at hand.

**Some Local Police Station**

**50 Miles Outside of Las Vegas, Nevada**

As soon as the team was situated, they began to work. Hotch spoke first, "We will divide into groups and examine different parts of this case. J.J., call Garcia and ask her to look up any links between the victims. Also, work on finding any links that would not be on file. We need to know if the unsub is targeting specific victims. Elle and Morgan, visit the dumpsites and the victims' houses. Reid and Gideon, watch the videos, take notes on anything unusual and try to figure out the unsub's motive. I'll examine the dumpsite photos and the evidence gathered thus far. We need to work fast because the unsub only keeps our victim alive for 24 hours before he is killed, and Brandon only has about three hours left."

A moment later, a cell phone rings. Everyone checks their phone, but it is Reid's that is ringing. Reid looks at the caller id and realizes that his mother's sanatorium is trying to contact him. With a sudden look of worry on his face, Reid moves to a different room and takes the call privately. He answers, "Hello? Who is this?"

A deep voice, probably a young man, answers Reid quickly and says, "This is the Las Vegas Mental Sanatorium. We have urgent news about your mother, Dr. Reid. She just sustained a stroke, and before she became unconscious, she called out your name. She is currently at Vegas Memorial Hospital, and we believe that it would help her recover if you paid her a visit."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

After a few moments, Reid ends the call and approaches Hotch. Seeing the genuine look of worry and the lone tear trickling down the young man's face, Hotch says, "Reid, what's the matter?"

"Hotch, um, can I, um, have a day off?"

"Reid, we're in the middle of a case? What would make you want to request a day off while on duty? What's wrong?"

"Well, my, uh, mom's sanatorium just called and said that she just had a stroke and she wanted to see me. I really want to visit her and make sure that she is okay. Besides, I can get to the hospital in an hour, visit her, and be back here by tomorrow morning."

"Okay, you can go, but I'm sending Morgan with you."

"Hotch, I'll be fine. You need all of the agents you can get on this case."

"You are right, but I'm at least going to send an officer with you. Also, call me if you get the chance." With that said, Reid quickly walked out of the station and is driven away in a patrol car with Officer Miller at the wheel.

**Las Vegas Memorial Hospital**

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

After an hour long silent car ride, Officer Miller and Reid finally arrived at the hospital. Miller stayed near the car while Reid made his way into the hospital and up to the front desk. A young woman with kind eyes and short blonde hair said, "Who are you here to visit?" After saying his mother's full name, the woman went to her computer. After a few minutes, she came back and told Reid, "I'm sorry; we have no record of anyone with that name being admitted to the hospital within the last month."

A bewildered and baffled looking Reid said, "Thank you for your time." He then quickly walks out the hospital door.

Outside, as the sun was setting, Reid began to take the long walk towards the patrol car. On his way there, Reid pulled out his cell phone and began to dial Hotch's number. As he was about to press send, two men in black blocked Reid's path. Without looking up from his cell, Reid said, "Excuse me." When they did not move, Reid looked up and immediately became filled with fear.

A struggle then erupted, but the two men quickly overpowered Reid and unarmed him. On of the men then pulled out at a large handgun with a silencer on it and aimed it at Reid's left leg. A shot rang out and Reid immediately fell to the ground with a searing and immense pain in his leg. He was then bound at his wrists and ankles, gagged, and thrown into the back of black truck, which quickly drove away into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Some Local Police Station (same as last chapter)**

**50 Miles Outside of Las Vegas, Nevada**

Back at the station, the remaining team members gathered to share what they learned from their various tasks thus far. J.J. started the meeting by saying, "Garcia has found no links between the victims. They all work for different companies, have different income levels, and they all went to different schools. The only apparent links we have are that they commute home from work at approximately the same time and have very similar physical appearances."

Elle then began to tell of what she had gathered. "The dumpsites, meaning the playgrounds, contain a high risk of exposing the unsub, which means he knows what he is doing and does it in a very discreet manner. The bodies were probably dumped around sunset because our unsub abducts a new victim immediately after he is rid of the previous one, and he abducts a new victim every 24 hours around 8 P.M."

Morgan added, "The homes of the victims were all very different from each other. We found nothing out of the ordinary or that would suggest a link to the victims."

Gideon then commenced to tell of what he learned from the videos. "The ransom videos are sent by an anonymous email address to a close friend or relative of the victim. They are very hard to trace, maybe even untraceable, but I have Garcia working on it. The first video for each victim is the longest in which the unsub states his demand for a 'HIM' delivered in the desert. Each victim is given only 24 hours to live before they are killed, and a ransom video is sent every six hours, almost always on the nose. I think that we are dealing with at least four unsubs; one states the demands, two stand by the victim, and the probably runs the camera. The unsubs are probably all male, and they always wear black clothes and ski masks. Each time the victim is beat up and in shackles connected to a wall. In the first and second videos for each victim, the victim is shot in the leg. The autopsy reports say that both victims were shot with rock salt, which acts as a paralysis unless it is completely removed. Also, the victims wouldn't die from this; in fact, they stop loosing blood about a half an hour after they were shot as a result of the unique ammunition. Anyway, in the third videos, the victim is beat up, probably with brass knuckles, and, finally, in the fourth video, the victim is killed by a slow and painful slit to the throat. In each and every video, an unsub says something to the extent of 'He was not given justice, so we take justice into our own hands and give it to him.' However, I think they are referring to a different 'him' than the one they want as ransom."

Morgan added, "Our unsubs probably feel that a family member or someone else close to them was wronged in a serious way, and now they are set on seeking justice to give both that person and themselves a sense of peace. Also, the 'HIM' that they want is probably the cause of the injustice."

Everyone on the team seemed to agree with Morgan, and Gideon then continued with his speech. "The quality of the video is extremely clear and vivid. No camcorder or home video equipment could, in my opinion, produce such clear feed. The camera is probably that of a professionals, and at least one of our unsubs knows how to use it. Our victims also appear very hot, which means that they are probably in or near the desert. This would also explain why the unsubs want 'HIM' delivered in the desert. Finally, the background in the videos appears to be worn and cracked cement; each video appears to be filmed in the same location, which means that are unsubs are confident that they will not be caught, thus they don't change location."

Hotch then brings a close to the meeting by saying, "That's a very good start everyone. Now, unfortunately, all we can do is wait for the body of Brandon Vogel to show up since we have already received his final video and also since we were called so late into the case. I think that we should all go back to the hotel, get a good night's rest, and be ready to leave the hotel tomorrow by 7 A.M. Hopefully we'll have more luck tomorrow when Reid returns."

After a moment of silence, Elle asked the question that was on every agent's mind since he abruptly left earlier in the day. "Where'd he go anyway?"

"He had a very urgent and important personal issue that he needed to deal with. He should be back by tomorrow and should call soon," said Hotch.

Morgan, however, wanted to know more. "Can't you give us more info than that? I don't mean to be pushy, but what was so important that it couldn't wait until we were finished with this case?"

With a slight look of annoyance on his face, Hotch answered Morgan with, "His mother just had a stroke, and, as you know, she has schizophrenia and lives in Vegas. Reid thought that it was important to visit her and make sure that she was okay." After a brief moment of silence, the team packed up their belongings and returned to their hotel for the remainder of the night.

**Great Basin Desert**

**Near Las Vegas, Nevada**

A dazed and confused Spencer Reid lay curled up on the floor in the back of the black truck. He tried, for several minutes, to escape from his bindings, but it was pointless because they were so tight. He had tried to move his left leg, but, as hard as he tried, he could barely move it a couple of inches. He suddenly became stricken with panic, fear, and the reality of his current situation. Reid desperately tried to stop the flow of blood from his leg, but, luckily, it seemed to be slowing down on its own.

After a while, the truck came to a sudden halt and the back doors of the truck swung open violently. The young agent was then quickly taken out of the truck; it was very dark outside, but he didn't see anything around him. He was dragged by the two men to a spot where the ground seemed to open up, he was quickly shoved in, and the men followed him and sealed off the opening.

In the under-ground chamber, Reid was led down a narrow, dark hallway and thrown into a small, pitch-black, prison-cell-like room. The heavy door was immediately shut, locking him in. After what seemed like forever, the two men swung the door open and try to pull their hostage out. Reid, however, squirms and thrashes in an attempt to break free from his capturers. He quickly fails and receives a blow to the stomach as a punishment.

After his feeble attempt at escape, Reid is led down the dark hallway into a larger, brighter room, which contains a huge camera, laptop, two other men, also in black, and various tools. He is shackled to the wall and the camera starts rolling. One of the men starts talking. Still dazed, Reid catches the words 24 hours, justice, him, and death. With the last statement, his eyes widen, and he is filled with panic and fear.

Suddenly, the man on Reid's left pulls out the same large handgun. As soon as he saw this, the young agent desperately tried to escape his restraints, but it was no use, and, once again, a searing and unbearable pain resounds in his leg, which was followed by numerous punches and kicks to his face, chest, and stomach. As his leg starts to outpour blood, Reid is roughly escorted back to that same enclosed cell, where he lies on the floor and eventually falls asleep.

An almost identical process was repeated six hours later. Again the same large room, camera, assumed demands, the beatings, the handgun, the useless attempt at escape, and the excruciating pain in his left leg.

**The Next Morning at the Local Police Station**

**50 Miles Outside of Las Vegas, Nevada **

Around 7 A.M., the team gathered in the hotel hallway, took a short drive, and arrived at the station by quarter after seven. Many officers were already at the station, which seemed to be in a disorganized and chaotic state. Immediately, Sheriff Harrell approached them and began to speak. "We just received terrible news. Officer Miller was just found unconscious near his patrol car at Vegas Memorial Hospital. I did some investigating, and no one with the last name of Reid is registered at that hospital. I had the local authorities do a search, and he was not found anywhere. Also, a pool of blood was found outside of the hospital and I sent it to DNA, but it isn't looking to good for your agent."

Hotch then said, "It was a trap; a lure to draw him out. I can't believe I let him go. I should of argued with him and at least sent someone else."

Officer Kohlmeyer interrupted Hotch's rant and said, "We just received Officer Miller's statement."

"What did he say?" asked an increasingly concerned Gideon.

Every agent went wide-eyed and pale after hearing what he said. "They took him."

The team's worst nightmare had just become a reality.


	4. Chapter 4

**Note**Sorry it took me two days to update, but I made up forthis delaywith a really long and exciting chapter. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave a review! P.S.- the next chapter should be the last one, and it should be up within the next week.

**Chapter 4**

**Some Local Police Station**

**50 Miles Outside of Las Vegas, Nevada**

A couple of minutes after finding out the news about Reid, Hotch's cell phone began to ring. With his team still in the room, Hotch answers the phone; Garcia had been the one calling. She said, "When I came into work this morning, I went to my office and opened my emails. I found two, uh, disturbing…."

Garcia was interrupted by Hotch, who said, "videos of Reid being held hostage, right?"

"Yeah, you're right. I'll send them to your laptop and the station computer right away. I'll also try to trace the source, but, considering my luck with the other videos, I probably won't be able to give you much."

"Thanks Garcia," and, with that said, Hotch ended the call. Then, Gideon, Hotch, Elle, and Morgan entered their given office and gathered around the station computer. Hotch opened the videos, and the team watched, in horror and with utter disbelief, as their youngest member was shot and beat up. The videos, just like the ones for the other victims, contained the same demands, same references to justice, same time limit, same place, and the same quality of the video.

Midway through the second video, Gideon apparently noticed something and told Hotch to stop the video and back it up a few frames. Hotch obliged and rewound it. He then played the video, and Gideon said, after only a few seconds, "Pause it," so Hotch immediately paused it.

To everyone's surprise, the frozen frame revealed, besides two men in black and a struggling Reid, a thin, purple, computer animated strip that appeared at the bottom of the screen. After everyone studied the strip for several minutes, J.J. came into the office and said, "Reid's face is all over the news. The media…."

J.J. was interrupted by Gideon, who said, "The news! J.J., turn on that T.V. over there; we just might of found our unsub." J.J., surprised by Gideon's sudden epiphany, went over to the small T.V. in the office room, turned it on, and tuned in to the local news station, Channel 6. Sure enough, at the bottom of the television screen, an identical purple strip appeared, but this one displayed a summary of the latest story.

Morgan then stated, "Oh my God! A news camera man makes perfect sense!"

Elle quickly interjected. "Morgan and I'll call Channel 6 and get a list of all their camera men."

Hotch added, "Also ask if they know if any of their camera crew owns a professional camera or even has access to one of the station's."

With that said, Elle and Morgan left to make the call, and J.J. left the room in order to deal with the press, leaving Gideon and Hotch alone for a while. After several minutes in silence, a very troubled and worried looking Hotch began to speak. "I, I shouldn't of let him go. I should of at least checked with the hospital or sent one of the BAU. I should of…"

As Hotch began to lose his train of thought, Gideon spoke. "Hotch, you didn't know it was a trap; none of us did. I would have made the same mistake. Stop blaming yourself; its not going to get us any closer to saving him. We'll find him. We'll find him." Gideon then laid a gentle, friendly hand on Hotch's shoulder.

A while later, Elle and Morgan re-entered the room, and Elle said, "Channel 6 News has 15 main camera men for their studio and 10 for in the field. They faxed the list over; I have it here. I also asked if any of their employees on this list own a professional camera or have one of the station's. Get this: one of the station's main cameras broke down about three weeks ago. One of its many glitches was randomly displaying information strips. After a few failed attempts at fixing it, the station decided to let one of their trusted camera men take it home so he could work on it with his own tools. They say he hasn't returned it or even come back to work yet because his wife died three weeks ago."

"What's this guy's name?" asked Gideon.

Morgan answered. "Jared Evans. I already called Garcia and asked her to get us everything about this guy and his family. She should be getting back to us any minute."

A few minutes later, the entire team gathered around the office's computer. Garcia's face appeared on the screen, and she began to tell of all she collected on one of their unsubs. "Jared Evans is currently 57, lives in Vegas, and is a camera man for the local news, Channel 6. He has a clean record besides a few parking and speeding tickets. His father served in the army; he was positioned near Vegas at a now deserted desert base. Has three living sons, one dead one. The living sons' names are Mike, Harry, and Ryan. The dead one's name was Kent. Kent, when he was 9, was the victim of a kidnapping. The kid was taken from a local playground and was found without his clothes, badly beaten, shot three times in the left leg with rock salt, and a slit to the throat, which was the cause of death. Mr. and Mrs. Evans claimed it was 24 year old Robert Carnate. This guy wasn't tried; instead, a deal was made in which Carnate went to jail for 15 years because there wasn't enough evidence to convict him. Here's his picture at the time of arrest." A picture of a young, pale, skinny, brown-eyed male appeared on the computer screen. Every agent immediately noted the extremely close resemblance this guy had to Reid and their other victims.

"It has been 22 years since the kidnapping, and Carnate is out of jail. Also, Jared's wife just died three weeks ago, and, according to the local obituaries, Mrs. Evans said to her husband and sons on her death-bed, 'Justice is blind. Bring our son the justice he needed and truly deserved.' Does this all fit or what!"

Hotch spoke. "We have one of our guys for sure. The other three unsubs are most likely his sons. Garcia, where does this guy live?" After Garcia told the team Jared's full address, Hotch said, "Thanks a lot. Keep digging, and if you find anything else interesting about our guy, call me." Elle, Hotch, Gideon, and J.J. then left the room and went to make plans with the local law enforcement on how to bring their unsub down.

Garcia remained on the computer screen and asked Morgan, "Hotch seemed a lot more tense and worried than he usually is. What's wrong?"

Morgan answered her with, "He let Reid get out of his sight, and now he feels that this is all his fault."

"Ooh, that's tough," said Garcia.

"Yeah, but I see why he's so stressed. We're all worried sick about the kid, and the added guilt he's feeling is enough to throw anyone over the edge. Well, see ya later; we've got to get moving." With that said, Morgan turned off the computer and headed out of the room and over to where the rest of the team was gathered with Sheriff Harrell. They made their plans, prepared their equipment, weapons, and cars, and left the station for Mr. Evan's house around 3:30.

**Great Basin Desert**

**Near Las Vegas, Nevada **

Agent Spencer Reid laid on the hard cement ground, motionless, in his dark, small cell. A few hours ago, the men in black had taken him out of this cell, led him down the hallway and into the large room, and again he tried to escape, but he quickly failed. The same routine had taken place right up to the part where the handgun was usually pulled out.

This time, however, instead of a handgun, two sets of brass knuckles were revealed. The men that were standing near Reid put them on, and quickly approached Reid, surrounding him. Reid thrashed wildly and tried to move away, but the shackles held him in place. The two men came at Reid, violently hitting him in the stomach, back, head, face, and arms. To his horror, Reid felt and heard a loud and extremely painful crack in his right arm.

After a couple of minutes, the beating stopped, and Reid was dragged back to the cell, where he curled up on the floor and tried to forget about his aches and pains with some rest. However, the pain was too immense and he was not able to sleep. He then thought about how long he had left to live and if the team would find him in time. He figured that he only had about 4 hours left, since the third video had been filmed a while ago. However, he knew that his fellow agents were trying their hardest and would stop at nothing to find him; they were like the loving family he never had. This last thought had given Reid a glimmer of hope, and he eventually dozed off.

**Residence of Jared Evans**

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

After an hour and a half long ride into Vegas, due to rush-hour traffic, the team and a few police officers stepped out of their cars. Jared Evan's house looked very normal, and it was located in a nice, middle-class neighborhood. It was a large, light-blue house set on a large piece of well-landscaped property. The FBI agents closed in on the front door. Morgan yelled, "FBI, open up!" When no one answered the door, Morgan kicked it in, and a mix of agents and officers swarmed in. They quickly cleared all of the rooms, finding no one in the house or on the property. The team holstered their weapons and began to take a look around the house.

The interior of the house was as normal as the outside; there was a Tuscany theme, and it was heavily furnished. The team looked around for any clues as to the whereabouts of their youngest agent. After an hour of searching through every room, every book, every closet, and every shelf, the team came up with no luck. They filtered into the living room and then began to tell of what they learned.

Morgan said, "We've searched every inch of this house and have come up with nothing. Gideon, I agree that our unsubs are in or near the desert, but we just don't have time to search the entire desert. Gideon? Gideon, did you hear what I just said?" Gideon appeared to be deep in thought; he was looking at a framed photo of a man in military attire that was placed on the fireplace mantle.

Gideon, apparently realizing something, said, "Remember how Garcia told us about Mr. Evan's father? She said that he served in the military and was positioned in a now deserted desert bunker? We have our location." After that statement, Morgan called Garcia. She quickly found the location of the bunker and sent it to Hotch's laptop. The BAU walked out of Jared's house and notified Sheriff Harrell of their discovery. After making arrangements for an ambulance to follow them, J.J., Morgan, Elle, Gideon, Hotch, and the local law enforcement were on their way to the desert by 6 P.M.


	5. Chapter 5

This is the last chapter, so please read and review!

**Chapter 5**

**Great Basin Desert Army Bunker**

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

After a long, silent ride into the desert from Mr. Evan's house, Gideon's handheld GPS finally said that they were getting close. 5 miles east off of the main road lay the bunker, according to the GPS, that the team had so desperately sought. The ambulance, J.J., and a few officers stayed at the main road; the rest of the BAU and 15 officers proceeded into the desert. When they were about 50 yards away, everyone stopped their cars, quietly exited their vehicles, and took a look around.

The sun had almost set, and the desert was quickly becoming darker with every passing minute. Nothing but a few bushes and the police cars surrounded them. Hotch addressed his team and the officers. "We have about 15 minutes before we receive the final video, and we have already missed the deadline for negotiating. We have a maximum of 10 minutes before they film the video, so move quickly." With that said, the team gathered around Gideon and his GPS, which guided them to a spot about 15 feet from the bunker.

Unbeknownst to the team and directly under them, Reid was being led out of his cell. He was so weak that he didn't even attempt to resist the two men this time. His left leg and right arm were limp and his head hung low as he was being escorted to the large room.

The team stopped walking and searched for any clue to the whereabouts of the bunker. Elle found something and called the team over. She said, "This looks like a door or entrance of some kind. I think we've found our bunker." Then, Morgan slowly and cautiously opened the large, heavy hatch, and the team shone their flashlights into the chamber. They cleared the entrance and promptly proceeded into the underground chamber. Gideon, Hotch, Morgan, and Elle entered first, but the other officers quickly followed them. With their guns drawn, they moved down the dark, narrow hallway and came upon a small, cell-like room. Inside, they found dry, tacky, and wet pools of blood.

They again moved down the hallway and came upon a closed door that lights and sounds seemed to be coming from. After a few moments, Morgan kicked down the rusty door, and Hotch, Gideon, Morgan, Elle, and a few police officers flooded into the room. They saw a large camera with a Channel 6 logo on its side, various lights, a laptop, bloodstained brass knuckles, a large handgun, four startled and surprised men in black, and one scared, extremely weak, manhandled, chained, gagged, and bloody Spencer Reid. His head was supported by one of the men in black's hand, who held a knife and began to cut into the side of the young agent's throat.

Everyone's gun was still drawn, and Gideon yelled, "FBI! Put your hands up, weapons down, and step away from the kid!" Three of the men, who looked young and scared, quickly put their hands up and appeared to be unarmed. Immediately, Morgan and Elle patted them down and handcuffed them; the other officers then led them outside and read them their rights.

However, one of the men, who appeared older, refused to surrender. He held the knife in his hand and was about to continue his task. Hotch, standing about 15 feet from Jared and Reid, tried to negotiate with him, and he slowly lowered but didn't holster his weapon. Gideon, Morgan, and Elle stood close behind him with their guns still drawn. Hotch said in a sympathetic yet stern voice, "Jared, I know how you must feel. I have a son too, and I would want justice if anything ever happened to him. I can fix this mess. I'm a lawyer, and I can get the case retried and the justice that Kent deserves. But first, you have to put the knife down, trust me, and let Reid go. You and I both know that it is not right, not just, to hurt someone who had nothing to do with what happened to your son, no matter how much he may look like Robert. I know it's hard, but you have to trust me and let him go. Hurting him is not the way to achieve justice for Kent and bring peace of mind to your wife.

Jared had paused to listen to Hotch, but he seemed unfazed by Hotch's plea and brought the knife inches from Reid's already bloody neck. Jared said, "I, I have to do this. Justice was blind to Kent, but I will change that. This is the only way. I have to kill the guy who did that to my son; I have to kill him for Kent and for justice."

Hotch took another stab at trying to persuade him. "Justice was blind to tour son, but that can be changed. You don't have to kill the guy who hurt your son, and you definitely don't have to kill a kid, an innocent kid, who had nothing to do with it. Just put the knife down." Hotch's voice seemed to waver with his last statement.

"NO! Kent needs justice!" With his mind made up, Jared pulled the knife to Reid's throat and continued to make the already bloody gash even larger.

Only seconds later, a shot rang throughout the bunker. Jared fell to the floor, bleeding from his head, and Reid collapsed to the ground without Jared holding him up. Gideon and Elle rushed over to Jared, and Morgan went to a near corner and found a set of keys. Hotch dropped his hot, smoking gun and rushed over to Reid.

Morgan came over to Reid and quickly removed the shackles. Hotch picked Reid up, removed the gag from his mouth, and held him in his arms. He took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and held it to the young agent's neck in an attempt to stop the massive amount of blood that was escaping from Reid's frail body. Reid looked into Hotch's eyes and opened his quavering mouth, but no words came out. Suddenly, his eyes shut and his head and body went limp in Hotch's arms.

A panicked Hotchner had tears flowing down his face when he said, "We need the paramedics in here NOW!"

**Las Vegas Memorial Hospital**

**Las Vegas, Nevada**

It had been six hours since the team and Reid's ambulance had arrived at the hospital. Reid was rushed to the emergency room, and he was still bleeding from his throat the last time the team had seen him. The team waited for those six hours, without any word from Reid, in a hospital hallway.

Each team member waited and dealt with their anxieties about Reid in different ways. J.J. and Elle mindlessly flipped through numerous magazines. Morgan paced nervously, Gideon rested, and Hotch sat quietly, apparently deep in thought. It seemed like it took forever for a doctor to approach them, but one finally did. They immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered around the short, husky, gray-haired man that had come to them.

The man introduced himself and began to speak. "Hello. I am Dr. Freeman. I was sent to tell you of your agent, Spencer Reid's, condition." After a moment's pause, Dr. Freeman began to speak again. "We were able to stitch up the large gash in his neck. It will leave a nasty scar, but, nonetheless, we were able to do it with about 75 stitches. He may have trouble speaking for a couple of weeks, but his regular voice should return with time. He seems to be accepting the blood transfusions quite well. His arm was broken and is in a cast; it should heal over nicely. The anesthetics should wear off in about an hour, and he is on strong pain killers. Basically, he'll be fine."

There was a collective sigh of relief from everyone in the group at this wonderful news. Then, Gideon asked the question on everyone's mind. "How is his leg?"

After moment of silence, Dr. Freeman spoke. "Well, I, ah, don't know how to quite put this. Agent Reid's leg was not too infected, so it didn't have to be amputated. We were able to remove some of the rock salt bullets, but, since one shattered on impact, we weren't able to remove it without doing any more damage, so we didn't."

"How will this affect his ability to walk?" questioned Gideon.

"Unfortunately, the rock salt produced a partial paralyzing effect. He will not regain full use of his leg. With physical therapy, it should be manageable, but he will be in constant pain. He will have to use a cane or brace in order to walk." The hallway fell silent, and Dr. Freeman walked away.

After an hour or so, a nurse approached the team and gave them the okay to visit Reid. Gideon, J.J., Elle, Morgan, and Hotch filed into the quiet hospital room. Reid lay on the hospital bed. He had white bandages around his neck, and his arm was in a cast. He was hooked up to numerous machines, and many bruises were visible on his pale face and arms. His eyes were half-open, but he seemed to be awake. They all gathered around the bed and began to talk, but they talked slowly and clearly so Reid could fully understand.

"How are you feeling, Reid?" asked Gideon.

In a hoarse, quiet whisper, Reid answered Gideon with, "Better." Everyone immediately sensed that Reid was having difficulty in talking, so they tried to limit their question-asking. A few minutes later, Reid asked, "Did he survive?" This question took a lot of effort from the weak agent, thus it was very hoarse and barely audible.

Morgan, however, understood what he had said, so he began to explain the last thirty-some hours in a slow, clear voice. After a half an hour, Morgan ended his explanation with, "The father, Jared, died at the scene; his sons are going to be charged as accomplices. We were all worried sick about you, especially Hotch. We are all so relieved to know that you are doing better. Come to think of it, I think that you and Hotch need to talk." The other agents got the hint and vacated the room, closing the door quietly behind them. Hotch and Reid were left alone in the room.

Several minutes passed before Hotch, who was seated in a chair next to Reid on his right side, spoke. "Reid, I, ah, think that I owe you an apology. I never should of…"

Reid interrupted Hotch. In the same hoarse and quiet voice, Reid said, "Apology? Hotch, you saved my life! You and I both didn't know that it was a trap. Don't feel guilty. It is not your fault. You rescued me, so I must say thank you." The immense amount of effort that this statement required made Reid temporarily lose his breath. However, he caught it after a few minutes, and the conversation continued.

"I just wish that we could of gotten to you sooner. Reid, I have some bad news about your leg." Hotch paused a moment before continuing. "The rock salt has partially paralyzed your leg, and you won't regain full use of it. You probably will have to use a cane or brace just to walk." Tears began to well up in Hotch's eyes, and Reid tried to comfort him.

"Hotch, I know. I figured that I would be permanently disabled since I couldn't move my leg after the first shot. I know that you feel responsible for it, but it is not your fault." Again, Reid had to catch his breath, and he then laid a gentle hand on Hotch's shoulder. Hotch returned the gesture by gently and carefully hugging his youngest agent.

**Three Weeks Later at the Residence of Spencer Reid **

**Quantico, Virginia**

Spencer Reid awoke, startled and afraid. He felt pain in his neck, arm, and especially his leg. He looked around the room and quickly realized he was not where he thought he was. He noticed that he was in a comfortable bed and an alarm clock on his right read 6:18. He breathed a sigh of relief and said to himself, "It was only a dream. It was only a dream."

He eventually made his way out of his bed and grabbed his cane, which was right next to the bed. He hobbled into the bathroom, where he popped some painkillers, changed his neck bandage, and washed his face. He poured himself a cup of coffee, changed into some slacks, a button-down shirt, and tie. He had made up his mind; he was going to work today.

**BAU Offices**

**Quantico, Virginia**

Reid made his way into the BAU around 7:30. As he slowly limped into the office, everyone looked surprised to see him. Morgan approached him and said, "Reid, why ya here? You had four weeks off, and it's only been three."

Reid responded, in a less hoarse, but still raspy voice, with, "Yeah, I know; I just wanted to come in and start to get back in the swing." He eventually made his way to Hotch's office and knocked on the door.

Without looking up from his papers, Hotch said, "Come in."

Reid said, "Hi. I ah, just wanted to talk to you."

Hotch recognized the voice, looked up from his files, and said, "Reid, you still have another week. I need to talk to you. Why are you here, anyway?"

"Hotch, I wanted to ask you something." Reid staggered over to a chair, set his cane down, and sat down himself. "I, ah, don't know how to say this, so, here it goes. I was wondering, am I still welcome here?"

Hotch looked shocked by his statement and answered him with, "Of course you are always welcome here. Why would you ask?"

Reid said, "I asked because, since I am now disabled, I was wondering if you were only letting me stay at this job because you feel responsible and guilty for what happened. I mean, I can barely walk, let alone be in the field."

Hotch then laid a gentle hand on Reid's shoulder and said, "Reid, you are an excellent agent. Sure, you won't be in the field as often, but this job requires more brains than brawn, and you have a lot of brains."

"Thanks again, Hotch." With that said, Reid exited Hotchner's office and knew that everything would work itself out.

**THE END**

_**Now, was that good or what? I thought that it was, so please, pretty please, leave a review and tell me what ya think. I really want to hear your take on Spence's leg.**_


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